Press Releases

The Company’s IT Assessment Products Named “Best Solution,” “Best Revenue Generator” and Best Software, Recognizing Ongoing Value to MSPs’ Businesses

Atlanta, GA – RapidFire Tools Inc., the world leader in non-invasive IT assessment tools, announced that Network Detective has won three significant awards this Fall from the managed service provider (MSP) channel, each recognizing the product’s ability to increase revenue streams. The company’s flagship IT assessment product line was named “Best Solution” at the SMB TechFest Q4 2015 event, which took place Oct. 15-16. It also was named “Best Revenue Generator” at the MAX 2015 event, which took place on Sept. 10. In addition, it was most recently voted Best Software Solution at the ChannelPro SMB Forum on November 3. These awards were determined by votes from MSPs and IT solution providers who attended the event.

“We’re humbled by this validation of our hard work to make the most powerful-yet-affordable IT assessment tools for MSPs,” said Michael Mittel, CEO of RapidFire Tools. “It’s truly gratifying to get this kind of positive feedback from our customers and the IT Industry.”

The Network Detective product line includes four separate IT assessment tools — including Network, Security, Exchange and SQL Server modules — as well as separate IT compliance tools for both HIPAA and PCI. The Network Detective product line is rounded out by a powerful plug-and-play cyber-security appliance called Inspector, which performs deep-dive internal vulnerability testing. MSPs use these tools to capture new customers and expand their IT service portfolios for existing clients. The products have won multiple revenue-themed accolades this year, including “Best Revenue Opportunity” at the Datto Partner Conference Show in June, and “Best Solution” at the SMB TechFest spring conference.

The Network Detective modules enable MSPs and solution providers to run quick, non-invasive scans on any network, and then create detailed reports that document network assets, configurations and users, and point out vulnerabilities in a client’s network. These assessments can be used to position the MSP to win new business by identifying anomalies outlined in the reports. Additionally, many MSPs leverage these reports to enhance their existing client services, develop new managed security services, and add value to their existing offerings.

“In addition to the industry recognition, we’re excited that our model is an effective, lucrative vehicle by which MSPs can build a loyal customer base,” noted Mittel. “We’ll continue to develop new strategies to support the success of these partners in the channel, examining security needs in whatever markets present the greatest opportunities for revenue.”

The Network Detective product line is available for purchase via subscription online at the company’s website: www.rapidfiretools.com

The following text was excerpted from an article by Mark Winter, VP Sales at RapidFire Tools that appeared in Business Solutions magazine:

Many managed service providers (MSPs) have built good practices involving remote monitoring and management services. They install agents on their clients’ systems that generate alerts any time something is amiss, whether it’s a hard drive failure, an Internet service blink or application performance issue. The remote IT service provider can immediately address issues, often without ever having to visit a client site—sometimes without the customer ever realizing there was an issue. MSPs can also perform maintenance, do updates and install patches, all through the invisible medium of remote management.

The Downside of Remote Management

Remote management, while critical to the profitability of the MSP, has one big detraction: The client doesn’t see you. The old adage is sometimes true: Out of sight, out of mind. From your clients’ points of view, they are paying a handsome monthly sum for maintenance of a network that is running without a hitch. If the MSP is doing their job well but not providing verifiable documentation of their behind-the-scenes work, the customer, ironically, sometimes begins to wonder whether they actually require ongoing IT services. This is where quarterly business reviews become crucial. Managed service providers can’t rely solely on remote management techniques to manage the business relationship—or at least, they do so at their own peril.

As much of a timesaver as remote management is, it works against the MSP if applied exclusively. It’s just too difficult for a business owner to see the value of services that are conducted behind the wizard’s curtain. Quarterly reviews provide the opportunity for the MSP to get face-to-face contact with their clients and explain how the magic happens—and to justify their services.

Establishing and maintaining great customer relationships is the key to maintaining client loyalty. A regular, quarterly review is the best way to illustrate an ongoing commitment to your customer. Done correctly, a quarterly review should demonstrate in a clear and convincing manner that you are not sitting quietly by while their network goes unattended. In addition, these relationship-building visits should provide a compelling reason why that client needs to maintain not just an ongoing service contract, but an ongoing contract with you.

Reporting as a New Business Generator

Upon scheduling a quarterly review, a savvy MSP must provide documentation of the labor, expertise and strategy that has been devoted to each account. Many MSPs rely on comprehensive network assessment tools to create detailed quarterly reports that reflect the level of attention and detail the MSP has put toward the client’s network. Professional, extensive reports position the MSP as a diligent service provider, one that has paid granular attention to their infrastructure. It also validates the MSP’s overall value proposition.

Quarterly business reports and reviews also provide an opportunity to discuss whatever ongoing issues arose during the quarter. This empowers the MSP to make recommendations on potential problem areas that can be addressed with upgrades, network improvements or new services. It creates business opportunities.

Explaining the Magic

Reports that effectively communicate meaningful information are not always easy to produce and should reflect data points that have been gathered over months’ worth of system maintenance. Effective assessment reports should include key metrics such as the total number of active computers on a network, the number of users added or deleted from the system, etc., pinpointing trends and usage patterns. These reports establish an ongoing baseline of performance that can be measured and referred to over time, like a living document. They also provide information that should be regularly reviewed with the client, like current employee lists and data access privileges. Current solutions can automatically generate customized, comprehensive, MSP-branded reports in minutes, yet appear to have taken significant effort to produce.

These assessments can help MSPs open a dialog with their clients on the risks involved in their current network configuration, and how specific services can alleviate those risks. It should prove to the client that their network did not function on a daily basis by magic; that it requires vigilant maintenance, and ongoing upgrades. Such reports can also help the MSP set accurate expectations for their customers. This data can serve as a framework for developing timelines and budgets for new services.

The quarterly business review is part retention plan and part new-business generator. It is part planning and customer care, and part relationship-builder. Although remote management is a valued vehicle for the managed service provider, it simply can’t replace personal contact with the end-user for creating continued business opportunities and solidifying customer loyalty. Even the savviest, most proactive solution provider makes in-person, well-documented quarterly business reporting a vital part of its client offering.

RapidFire Tools’ Tips for Improving Revenues through Network Assessment Has Won Multiple Show Awards, Continue to Educate MSPs at Various Events

ATLANTA – Sep 2, 2015 – RapidFire Tools Inc., the world leader in non-invasive IT assessment tools, continues its schedule of award-winning presentations designed to help managed service providers (MSPs) and IT solution providers gain revenues through network assessment. The company’s award-winning presentation, “Top Ways to Use IT Assessments to Win New Business and Grow Your Customer Relationships,” is scheduled to take place at the upcoming ASCII Group SMB Success Summit on Sept. 16 in Chantilly, Virginia; and was also presented at ASCII’s previous SMB Summit in Boston, Massachusetts, Aug. 19-20.

RapidFire Tools will also offer its growth-oriented presentation at the upcoming MAX 2015 event, hosted by LogicNow (formerly the GFI MAX Show) on Sept. 10 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center Washington, D.C. RapidFire Tools is the developer of the popular “Network Detective” line of network assessment modules, a non-invasive family of software tools that allow MSPs to identify network vulnerabilities and provide data for risk assessment reports.

Most MSPs and IT service providers use Network Detective to generate new business by running the non-invasive data collectors on prospect networks (with no software, agents or probes to install), and then using the discovered issues and vulnerabilities to highlight the need for their offerings.

In addition to these offerings, RapidFire Tools is exhibiting its network assessment tools at the ChannelPro SMB conference, Sept. 3, in Chicago. The exhibit will spotlight the entire set of Network Detective modules, including four different types of IT assessment modules, as well as its two IT compliance modules focused on PCI (payment cards) and HIPAA.

RapidFire Tools’ programs and products consistently win awards at trade events across the country, demonstrating the level of value that MSPs and resellers ascribe to the company’s offering. RapidFire Tools was recently named “Best in Show” at the 2015 SMB TechFest Q3, California’s largest quarterly technology trade event, which took place July 23 and 24. The company also earned a “Best Revenue Model” award at this year’s spring SMB TechFest conference, and a “Best IT Workshop” nod from ASCII attendees at a spring 2015 SMB summit.

“We continue to focus on educating the MSP community about the revenue potential associated with network assessment throughout the client life-cycle, from prospecting and new client onboarding, through client service and business reviews, and even by delivering new services,” said Mike Mittel, CEO of RapidFire Tools. “The best way to communicate all these uses is to let solution providers see for themselves how these tools are used and what kind of branded reports they can generate. RapidFire Tools is honored that so many trade show attendees have recognized the value of these solutions, and have gone back to put our network assessment products successfully into practice.”

The entire Network Detective product line is available for purchase online at the company’s main website: www.rapidfiretools.com

About Network Detective
Network Detective is the number one non-invasive IT assessment tool, used by thousands of service providers around the world. Unlike other solutions, Network Detective includes a series of IT assessment and compliance modules that acquire a vast amount of network data – including assets, users, configurations, and vulnerabilities – all without installing any software, probes, or agents. Once the scans are complete, the service provider can run the encrypted file through the Network Detective proprietary data analyzer and then select from dozens of powerful reports to generate.

About RapidFire Tools
RapidFire Tools Inc. was founded in June of 2010 by IT entrepreneur Michael Mittel. The company’s mission is to
develop and sell innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully; and also to support the reporting needs of IT pros working within end-user organizations.

ATLANTA – Aug 2, 2015 – RapidFire Tools Inc., the world leader in non-invasive IT assessment tools, has surveyed its managed service provider (MSP) customers selling into the healthcare marketplace to gauge the effectiveness of its Network Detective HIPAA Compliance Module. Responses to the survey show that RapidFire Tools customers have been able to successfully turn compliance assessments during end-user visits into formidable projects and even ongoing service-level agreements, leveraging the tool to increase business and engage prospects more effectively than they previously could.

In a series of customer polls designed for business intelligence purposes, RapidFire Tools asked MSPs to identify specific instances in which use of the HIPAA Compliance module had resulted in the generation of a new project or an extended service contract, or whether the module allowed the MSP to justify their own services. Responses were resoundingly positive, revealing various occasions in which solution providers were able to capture new sales, including one MSP’s addition of a combined $12,000 per month in ongoing service agreements from two healthcare facilities. In addition, MSPs reported an increased ability to illustrate their skills, identifying network vulnerabilities and positioning their own practices as superior to the customers’ existing IT partners.

“At RapidFire Tools, we’ve consistently addressed MSPs and IT solution providers at trade events across the country, asserting that a network assessment is a compelling method of prospecting new business, and more importantly, to turn those leads into incremental revenue streams,” began Mike Mittel, CEO and president at RapidFire Tools. “We’ve so much as provided step-by-step instructions on the use of the network assessment to pinpoint areas in which their current IT consultants are lacking, by identifying system vulnerabilities through our granular assessment reports.” RapidFire Tools is scheduled to inform MSPs and dealers about network assessment at events this year including the upcoming SMB Tech Fest event on July 23 – 24 in Charlotte, NC.

“Assessment is even more critical in the healthcare marketplace, where a facility is vulnerable to business-jeopardizing fees—potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars—if they have not conducted a mandated Risk Assessment to document their compliance,” continued Mittel. “We are delighted that our MSPs have been able to rely on our HIPAA Compliance tool in the field, turning those compliance review sessions into concrete revenue-building opportunities. It’s something MSPs can utilize right now to grow their businesses.”

MSP input from the RapidFire Tools’ HIPAA usage survey included the following case study anecdotes:

“We tested the solution with a few clients and were impressed with the detail and quality of the reports. After compiling a sample binder, we presented to a few clients and won a $5,000 initial contract with $500 per month for the quarterly reports. Another client was a rural hospital with 115 seats wanting an outside company to audit how well they did. The initial contract was $7,000 with $700 per month for the quarterly on-site surveys and presentation of findings.”

— Managed Services Provider, Ruston, Louisiana

“We scoped the HIPAA assessment as part of a value added service for a network assessment we were hired to conduct. Our client chose the HIPAA scope, and we increased our fee by 200%. The client was very impressed with the reports and scheduled a follow-up assessment in six months before the end of our meeting.”

“In June of 2014, we were contacted by a residential long-term care and short-term rehabilitation facility to replace some PCs and provide a general network assessment. We recommended a HIPAA Compliance Assessment, and they agreed. After completing the network scans and interviews, we were able to provide beautiful reports identifying several aspects of the network that needed improvement. These reports provided solid documentation to support proposals for several new projects. Ultimately, the client agreed to projects involving firewall replacement, wireless network separation, antivirus installation, patch management, and a new backup solution.”

— Technology Consulting Firm, Athens, Georgia

The Network Detective HIPAA module and the product line’s additional network assessment modules are available for license at the www.rapidfiretools.com website.

About Network Detective

Network Detective is the number one non-invasive IT assessment tool, used by thousands of service providers around the world. Unlike other solutions, Network Detective includes a series of IT assessment and compliance modules that acquire a vast amount of network data – including assets, users, configurations, and vulnerabilities – all without installing any software, probes, or agents. Once the scans are complete, the service provider can run the encrypted file through the Network Detective proprietary data analyzer and then select from dozens of powerful reports to generate.

About RapidFire Tools, Inc.

RapidFire Tools Inc. was founded in June of 2010 by IT entrepreneur Michael Mittel. The company’s mission is to
develop and sell innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully; and also to support the reporting needs of IT pros working within end-user organizations.

Article submitted by Michael Mittel, CEO of RapidFire Tools, and published in Business Solutions.

VARs and managed service providers who choose to sell compliance audits have one great advantage: Compliance, by definition, is mandatory. That in itself gives companies an incentive to purchase, and creates opportunities for resellers and MSPs to build their businesses. Resellers need to decide what market to pursue, and need to inform businesses exactly what they have to lose if they are found non-compliant by the bodies that govern these mandates. Here are some tips on profiting from these opportunities:

1 – Target a Marketplace

Various industries have been subjected to compliance regulations for a decade or more. These statutes tend to incorporate stringent technology requirements. We’ve identified two major market opportunities for resellers and MSPs:

The first is HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliance, set down by the U.S. government, which affects any company dealing with healthcare institutions that maintain electronic patient records. That group encompasses any consulting agent that has a healthcare facility as a client – from lawyers and accountants to financial institutions that deal with healthcare practices.

The second is PCI compliance, which affects every business that maintains a merchant account allowing them to accept credit or debit cards. According to the PCI Standards Council, more than 22 million businesses worldwide maintain merchant accounts and accept card-based payments, with close to half of those located in the United States.

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) was established more than a decade ago to help ensure security of payment card transactions and information. Any company that manages or transmits payment card information is required to maintain a secure environment for that data. Similar to HIPAA regulations in the healthcare industry, merchants who accept credit and debit card payments are obligated to upgrade their systems to meet the latest PCI DSS 3.0 standards—and there are 12 of them—in order to document that their payment card data transmissions are secure. Verizon’s recent PCI Compliance report claimed that only 11.1 percent of the companies it assessed initially met all 12 PCI DSS requirements. Only 24.4 percent of companies met 10 out the total requirements; only 42.2 percent met nine out of the 12.

2 – Use assessment as a door-opener

One of the main tenets we teach our MSPs is to use network assessment to ingratiate themselves to potential customers and capture sales. By offering a free risk assessment session as a “loss leader,” VARs not only gain access to a prospect, they also gain opportunity to produce assessment reports that point out vulnerabilities in that prospect’s network.

Once those points of susceptibility are revealed, the VAR can offer ongoing or project-based services to address them—procuring the trust of that new customer, potentially building a base of loyal customers in time.

3 – Educate Your Customers

Too many VARs don’t know enough about either HIPAA or PCI compliance to inform their customers. Do your homework—and communicate this message to the marketplace you intend to serve. Businesses will not demand risk assessments if they don’t know what they are risking.

With both HIPAA and PCI regulations, if companies are not compliant, they are subject to fines that can be applied per month, per year, or even per transaction. With PCI compliance, an acquiring bank can be fined $5,000 to $100,000 per month for violations. Non-compliant merchants run the risk of having financial institutions terminate their relationships or increase their transaction fees as reparation.

HIPAA fines can be thousands of dollars per violation for the effected entity. Companies must provide specific documentation, called Risk Assessment Reports, which show they have made reasonable attempts to comply with regulations. Without these reports, companies may not be able to avoid such fines.

4 – Perform assessments regularly

Network assessment is an ongoing, living process, not a one-shot deal. This is especially true in today’s mobile workplace environments, where networks are no longer stationery configurations with a set number of workstations. Mobile devices and telecommuting personnel enter and exit the network on an ongoing basis. Therefore, risk assessment should be conducted on a recurring monthly schedule, like taking a series of “snapshots” of the client’s network. This helps VARs recognize red flags and pinpoint anomalies.

There is definitely money to be made in conducting assessment audits, in multiple industries. Savvy resellers and managed service providers can leverage these opportunities to create ongoing revenue streams, while possibly saving their clientele thousands of dollars in penalties. It’s a win-win endeavor for the channel.

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) was established in 2006 to ensure that any company that maintains or transmits credit payment card information does so in a secure environment. It is an actionable framework to enable companies to implement data security processes, training, and IT standards to proactively protect card data. The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council released version 3.0 of these standards, comprised by 12 primary requirements, in turn consisting of more than 400 “controls” and “sub-controls.”
Merchants who accept credit and debit cards payments are obligated to ensure their systems to meet the latest PCI DSS 3.0 standards in order to document that they are protecting payment card data.

Explain how big this revenue opportunity is for MSPs.

More than 22 million businesses worldwide maintain merchant accounts and accept card-based payments according to the PCI Standards Council. Nearly half of those are located in the United States. It affects every business that maintains a merchant account allowing them to accept credit or debit cards.

What happens when a merchant is found NOT to be PCI compliant?

If companies are not compliant, they are subject to various fines that can be applied per month, per year, or even per transaction. An acquiring bank can be fined between $5,000 to $100,000 per month for PCI compliance violations, which are typically passed along to merchants. Non-compliant merchants also run the risk of having financial institutions terminate their relationships or increase their transaction fees as reparation. Such penalties can be devastating for a small business. Further, non-compliant companies have a higher likelihood of breach, and studies show that 60% of SMBs go out of business within 6 months of experiencing a breach.

Do you have any statistics to share on PCI compliance (Cost of non-compliance? Number of merchants thought to not be compliant)?

We did a survey of close to 300 MSPs as part of our research on this marketplace. Two hundred and sixty of those MSPs responded that they have clients who handle credit card data and are subject to PCI requirements. More than half of those MSP respondents said that at least six of their clients are subject to PCI requirements.
In Verizon’s most recent PCI Compliance report, they revealed that only 11.1% of the companies it assessed initially met all 12 requirements of PCI DSS 2.0. Only 24.4% of companies met 10 out the total requirements; only 42.2% met 9 out of the 12. The report calls PCI Compliance a “major issue” for businesses.

Tell us about your PCI compliance tool and how MSPs can sell and support it? Is this a SaaS-based platform?

The Network Detective PCI Compliance solution consists of a software-only module plus an add-on scanning appliance, called Inspector, which accommodates the “deep-dive” internal vulnerabilities scans and Layer 2/3 Diagrams that are required for a PCI assessment. The solution is licensed directly to the MSP on a subscription basis that allows them to perform unlimited assessments for their clients and prospects. It is not a hosted service. MSPs can use the PCI Compliance tool to sell PCI Readiness or Compliance Assessments on a project basis, they can couple that with remediation project work to fix the non-compliance issues, and they can sell “continuous compliance” services to perform regular compliance checks with remediation services.

Can you give us any real-world examples of how PCI compliance tools have “saved the day” for a merchant? Or maybe how an MSP has been successful selling these tools?

The module just recently launched. However, we had a customer in the survey tell us they estimate that his PCI compliance projects will be increasing by tenfold in the next few years. Another customer has taken it upon itself to do PCI Compliance audits with all its clients, “not as a service, but to find vulnerabilities that will enable us to sell our solutions to the client to enable them to be PCI compliant.”

ATLANTA –RapidFire Tools, Inc. today launched a new module for its popular Network Detective technology assessment tool for managed service providers (MSPs). The non-invasive Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliance module generates the required reports needed by any merchant, retailer or “e-tailer” that accepts credit and debit card payments, giving MSPs an offering for the robust merchant services marketplace. The reports are part of a software tool that automatically analyzes, organizes and forms the data necessary to produce PCI compliance reports. Much of the information is collected by specialized data-scanning tools, and the rest by the MSP following built-in, step-by-step worksheets that are dynamically generated as the data is collected and processed by the MSP. PCI Compliance represents a sizable opportunity for MSPs and IT solution providers. More than 22 million businesses worldwide maintain merchant accounts and accept card-based payments, with nearly half located in the United States. All merchants in this space are subject to PCI Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) exacted by the PCI Security Standards Council. Founded by financing entities such as MasterCard, VISA and American Express, the council sets industry security standards for retailers, Internet-based “e-tailers” and mail/telephone retailers. Non-compliant merchants are subject to steep fines, giving them ample incentive to undertake PCI Compliance assessments.

“As we move forward in the development of new modules for Network Detective, we are always in search of the most lucrative market opportunities for our MSP and IT Service provider subscribers,” said Mike Mittel, CEO of RapidFire Tools. “The merchant services marketplace has undergone significant evolution since establishment of the PCI Data Security Standard. Many of the affected retailers need to leverage technology to catch up with these standards. If a merchant is found non-compliant, they could be subject to business-killing fines, or even lose their ability to accept credit and debit cards. There is a pent-up demand for PCI Compliance risk assessments as a service, and the Network Detective reports deliver concrete value. The new Network Detective PCI Compliance module opens a whole new avenue of profits for the managed service provider.”

PCI compliance services, including generation of key documents that can demonstrate compliance with PCI DSS statutes.

Such services can be offered on a project basis, or via a long-term service agreement generating ongoing revenues, where assessments are conducted on a recurring basis.

The PCI Compliance solution consists of both a software-only module plus an add-on scanning appliance called the Network Detective Inspector, which accommodates the “deep-dive” internal vulnerabilities scans and Layer 2/3 Diagrams that are required for a PCI assessment. Existing Network Detective subscribers who already have an Inspector can use the appliance they have along with the PCI Compliance software module to perform their assessments. The Inspector appliance can be transported from client to client, and used at multiple sites, or can be permanently attached to an individual client network for remote scheduling and collection of data.

The Network Detective line of IT assessment and compliance assessment modules, including the PCI Compliance module, is available by subscription at the company website, www.rapidfiretools.com. Existing Network Detective customers may upgrade their subscriptions with discounted pricing through the Network Detective application.

About RapidFire Tools, Inc.

RapidFire Tools, Inc. was founded in June of 2010. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tools that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask, ConnectWise and TigerPaw. The company’s mission is to continue to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully.

ATLANTA –RapidFire Tools, Inc., the world-leader in non-invasive IT assessment tools, announced it has entered a new agreement with Acmeo, a premier distributor of cloud-based and IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) solutions in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Acmeo will distribute RapidFire Tools’ Network Detective assessment modules to managed service providers (MSPs) in this territory, allowing them to leverage network assessments to attract and retain new IT customers. The Network Detective products sold in this marketplace will produce their detailed assessment reports in native German.

The expansion into Germany, Switzerland and Austria is part of RapidFire Tools’ greater European and North American growth strategy. In July of 2014, RapidFire Tools struck a similar agreement with Achab, a SMB-oriented software distributor headquartered in Milan, to distribute the Network Detective assessment tools throughout Italy. During this same timeframe, RapidFire launched a Canadian-French and Spanish language reporting capability for the Network Detective product family, addressing various non-English-speaking demographics throughout North and South America.

“We’re thrilled to add Acmeo as a European distribution partner, extending our market penetration to a new territory and furthering our overall growth trajectory. Network assessment has an across-the-board strategic value that is not affected by cultural barriers; all networks are subject to vulnerabilities that are difficult to distinguish without regular assessments,” said Mike Mittel, CEO of RapidFire Tools. “One report showed that the top 70 network breaches in 2009, resulting in the loss of 275 million records, were the result of the exploitation of an existing vulnerability, the very kind that are revealed by network assessment. We’d like to encourage managed service providers in international geographies to take advantage of the opportunity.”

To support its ongoing European expansion, RapidFire Tools recently attended its first European trade event, Cloud Expo Europe 2015, which took place in London, England, March 11-12. The company’s exhibit was designed to help familiarize CIOs in the European marketplace with how to leverage IaaS and network assessment tools to prospect new leads and generate incremental revenues.

The Network Detective assessment tools, including the Network, Security, Exchange, SQL Server and Inspector modules, can currently produce detailed network assessment reports in five languages, with plans for additional translations as the company pursues new markets. The tools are non-invasive, requiring no client downloads, and assessments can be conducted in a single-day visit to an end-customer’s site. Modules generate granular network assessment reports that identify network, security and compliance issues typically present in any given network. MSPs therefore stand to attract and eventually sign new service customers through such assessments, since the issues identified by the reports need to be resolved by a reliable IT solution provider.

About RapidFire Tools, Inc.

RapidFire Tools, Inc. was founded in June of 2010. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tools that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask, ConnectWise and TigerPaw. The company’s mission is to continue to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully.

ATLANTA – RapidFire Tools Inc., the world-leader in non-invasive IT assessment tools, announced it has renewed its relationship as a sponsor of CharTec, a premier training association for managed service providers (MSPs). This year’s sponsorship begins with a new webinar session from RapidFire Tools, teaching CharTec members how to establish a profitable, turnkey managed security service through use of network assessments. The webinar takes place Feb. 10, 1 – 2 p.m. EST, and offers attendees special pricing beyond the standard CharTec member discount. In addition, RapidFire Tools will exhibit at the CharTec Academy partner-training event Feb. 25 – 27, to be held at CharTec’s Bakersfield, Calif., training facility.

CharTec is one of the leading providers of MSP-based, Hardware as a Service (HaaS), and IT business training for the SMB channel. Its 20,000 square-foot, custom-built training CharTec Academy is one of the largest MSP training facilities in North America. RapidFire Tools’ sponsorship of CharTec includes support and attendance of events and training activities throughout 2015, including exclusive RapidFire Tools engagements such as the February webinar.

The Feb. 10 webinar session, “How to Build a Turnkey IT Security Service with Network Detective,” shows MSPs how to create a lucrative managed security services offering using a series of network assessment tools, such as the Network Detective Security Assessment and Network Assessment modules. The webinar will be presented by RapidFire Tools’ Vice President of Sales, Mark Winter and Sales Engineer, Kevin Jones. Winter and Jones will explore the scope of this opportunity and describe how MSPs can quickly and easily collect a comprehensive amount of network security data and configurations, utilizing non-invasive tools to conduct both internal and external vulnerability scans. It will include a live question and answer session.

“At RapidFire Tools, we consistently seek alliances with companies that help support and enrich managed service providers in their effort to grow their practices,” said Mike Mittel, CEO of RapidFire Tools Inc. “CharTec has proven to be a notable asset to the SMB channel, and we value the productive relationship we have with its members. We look forward to delivering additional features and benefits that will help MSPs procure a more competitive market position, gaining new tools for profitability in the process, including the ability to build revenue through managed security services.”

RapidFire Tools, Inc. was founded in June of 2010. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tools that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask, ConnectWise and TigerPaw. The company’s mission is to continue to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully.

ATLANTA – RapidFire Tools, Inc., the world-leader in non-invasive IT assessment tools, announced it is offering three webinars as a follow-up to the company’s sponsorship of the sold-out IT Nation conference, hosted by ConnectWise for its partner base. The webinars are being provided at no-cost for ConnectWise partners, regardless of whether they attended the IT Nation event.

These hour-long sessions, will teach attendees how to utilize network assessments to capitalize on opportunities with both new and existing end-customers, including how to gain revenues through HIPAA Risk Assessments in the healthcare field, how to accrue new customers through IT assessments, and how to create ongoing incremental revenues.

The webinar schedule is as follows:

November 18, 12:00 p.m. ET: Top Ten Ways ConnectWise Pros Use IT Assessments To Guarantee Success

Service providers with larger clients may still elect to purchase separate INSPECTOR subscriptions for each major site, leaving the appliance permanently attached to the network, in order to accommodate centralized, frequent and regularly scheduled scans. “We believe that MSPs can build a highly profitable managed security service with our tools,” noted Mittel. “Our Network Detective Security Assessment Module, combined with the new INSPECTOR offering, allows these MSPs to offer a comprehensive set of both internal and external vulnerabilities reports, along with a powerful client-facing risk analysis report as a deliverable.”

Network Detective, including the HIPAA Compliance module and the new INSPECTOR deep-dive assessment module, is now available for license at the www.rapidfiretool.com website.

About RapidFire Tools, Inc.

RapidFire Tools, Inc. was founded in June of 2010. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tools that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask, ConnectWise and TigerPaw. The company’s mission is to continue to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully.

ATLANTA – RapidFire Tools Inc., the world leader in non-invasive IT assessment tools, announced that it has won the “Revenue Generator” award at the recent GFI MAX U.S. Customer Conference, held this month in Orlando, Fla.

The award was based on votes from attendees, which included a gathering of more than 500 GFI managed service providers (MSPs) and industry leaders. This is the second revenue-based award that RapidFire Tools has earned in four months. The company was also named “Best Revenue Generator” in the 2014 Vendor Awards competition at this year’s Datto Partner Conference, which took place during June in Las Vegas.

Attendees selected RapidFire Tools for that designation from a field of 33 vendors. “We’re honored to learn that managed service providers have acknowledged the value of our Network Detective modules. MSPs in the field are the true test of whether a solution is genuinely effective and will deliver real-world ROI for their businesses,” said Mike Mittel, CEO at RapidFire Tools. “Top billing in the revenue generator category is the most coveted win we could hope for, since our objective is to offer tools that increase sales and help our customers grow their practices. Unobtrusive network assessment is a meaningful way to achieve that, while producing keen benefits for the end-customers by evaluating their vulnerabilities. As a network assessment innovator, RapidFire Tools will continue to develop its roster of appliances that build income opportunities for IT solution providers.”

RapidFire Tools, Inc. was founded in June of 2010. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tools that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask, ConnectWise and TigerPaw. The company’s mission is to continue to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully.

ATLANTA – Rapidfire Tools, Inc., the world-leader in non-invasive IT assessment tools, announced today the release of Network Detective INSPECTOR, a new IT Assessment tool that can perform comprehensive Internal IT Vulnerability Assessments, and also produce highly detailed Layer 2/3 network diagrams.

The new offering, available through annual subscriptions, is the first Network Detective module that also comes with a fully configured, ready to use, hardware appliance that plugs into the target network. Once activated the device performs a non-invasive scan of the entire network — and everything connected to it – seeking out vulnerabilities that might be open to a hacker who manages to get by the network edge protection, or from a malicious internal source.

The vulnerability data that is collected is securely encrypted and can be remotely accessed by the service provider and automatically imported into the Network Detective application’s built-in data analyzer to generate a set of branded internal IT security reports for internal consumption, or to be shared with the client.

Reports generated by the Inspector can be easily combined with reports from other Network Detective modules – including the Network Assessment and Security Assessment modules — to provide the most comprehensive set of IT assessment reports available. A separate HIPAA Compliance module is also available.

“Network Detective INSPECTOR is designed for MSPs and IT Service providers who are concerned about IT security and want a higher level of assurance that they are doing everything possible to protect the security of their clients’ IT assets,” said RapidFire Tools president Michael Mittel. “It’s one thing to do an external vulnerabilities test by scanning ports at the network edge and see what is open. But it’s quite another to see what is exposed and accessible if an external hacker gets past the firewall – or if someone from the inside gains unauthorized access. That’s what INSPECTOR can discover.”

While there are numerous network scanning tools available to IT professionals, as well as separate tools for producing detailed network diagrams, these tools tend to be geared for the enterprise and priced accordingly – often on a per-use or per-device basis. Network Detective INSPECTOR is the only IT Assessment tool available to perform BOTH internal vulnerabilities scans AND generate high level Layer 2/3 diagrams in a single device, and offered on an unlimited annual subscription basis. This means that a smaller MSP or Service provider can service many clients with a single INSPECTOR subscription and single appliance that is periodically moved from client-to-client.

However, because the INSPECTOR appliance includes remote connectivity and automated scheduling, service providers with larger clients might elect to purchase separate subscriptions for each major site and leave it permanently attached to the network for centralized frequent and regularly scheduled scans.

“We believe that MSPs can build a highly profitable “Managed Security Service” with our tools,” noted Mittel. When you combine our Network Detective Security Assessment Module along with the new INSPECTOR offering, you get a comprehensive set of both internal and external vulnerabilities reports, along with a powerful client-facing risk analysis report to offer as your deliverable.”

Network Detective INSPECTOR is now available for license at the www.rapidfiretool.com website at an annual subscription price of $1,599. Each subscription includes the free and unlimited use of one dedicated scanning appliance that is accessed and managed from inside of the Network Detective application.

About RapidFire Tools, Inc.

RapidFire Tools, Inc. was founded in June of 2010. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tools that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask, ConnectWise and TigerPaw. The company’s mission is to continue to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully.

ATLANTA – RapidFire Tools Inc. Vice President of Sales Mark Winter will help managed service providers (MSPs) better gauge new business opportunities using robust, non-invasive network assessment tools at the 2014 GFI MAX U.S. Customer Conference, Sept. 8 – 11 in Orlando, Fla. Winter’s breakout session, “Top Ways to Use IT Assessments to Win New Business and Grow Customer Relationships,” takes place Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 4:15 p.m.

In his session, Winter will explain how MSPs can utilize network assessments as a lead-in to ongoing service contracts. Non-invasive network assessment tools can create detailed reports on usage policies, port vulnerabilities, security issues and unauthorized users. With Network Detective, MSP don’t need to download a client; the tools can be applied via a simple USB connection. Mission-critical data regarding the customer’s network can be gathered, usually in less than an hour during an on-site visit. Branded reports can then be automatically generated, showing the potential customer specific areas that need to be addressed to increase productivity and reinforce security—and often winning that customer’s trust.

RapidFire Tools is a Gold Sponsor of the show. At the booth, Winter will inform MSPs about the latest upgrades to Network Detective’s various IT assessment modules – including Network, Security, MS Exchange and SQL Server assessment tools. Through recent enhancements, the company’s new HIPAA Assessment module now recognizes a wider selection of encryption technologies and supports improved compatibility with Mac OS. This module, which creates automated HIPAA Risk Assessments for MSPs in the healthcare field, has quickly become the top-selling Network Detective product among RapidFire Tools’ existing customers. RapidFire Tools Shares Tips for Closing Sales Using Network Assessments at GFI MAX 2014.

“Assessments can help managed services providers gain access to businesses they might not have been able to penetrate without such a valuable up-front offering. We’re honored to explore the latest network assessment strategies with MSPs at the GFI MAX event,” said Winter. “These proven tactics, in addition to the new enhancements to the always-evolving Network Detective linecard, contribute to a growing roster of tools and resources at the MSP’s disposal.”

About RapidFire Tools, Inc.

RapidFire Tools, Inc. was founded in June of 2010. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tools that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask, ConnectWise and TigerPaw. The company’s mission is to continue to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully.

ATLANTA, GA – Solution providers now have two new tools for creating incremental new business opportunities by delivering IT assessments into new vertical markets, which RapidFire Tools Inc. will demonstrate at the upcoming CompTIA ChannelCon event on Aug. 4-6 at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa.

During the event, RapidFire Tools’ Vice President of Sales Mark Winter will share tips for breaking barriers into new verticals by using IT assessments to discover hidden issues and kick-start conversations about technology services and products. The new innovations to be demonstrated by RapidFire Tools include a HIPAA Compliance module, and a new version of Network Detective that can generate reports in multiple languages.

Both of these new products were launched by RapidFire Tools in the last several months, and each helps IT providers expand their offerings to new and complementary markets. RapidFire Tools’ new Network Detective HIPAA Compliance module provides a path for MSPs to service the more than three million organizations that are legally required to perform IT risk analyses.

This tool automatically generates the complicated HIPAA Risk Assessment documents that are required by legislative mandates, providing a relevant offering for the healthcare market—and for any “covered entity” that works with a healthcare company, as defined by HIPAA regulations. Separately, the recently released North American version of Network Detective now features Spanish and Canadian French language translations, opening doors to IT service providers targeting the fast-growing multi-cultural markets, as well as regions like French Quebec, where English is not the primary language. The North American version of Network Detective addresses this opportunity by giving the service provider the option of generating any of the IT assessment reports in both Canadian French and Spanish in addition to the default English.

“RapidFire Tools is committed to driving creative new ways for IT services providers to increase revenue, developing products that help them identify new business opportunities and provide better service,” said Mike Mittel, CEO at RapidFire Tools. “We’re excited to introduce our most recent innovations to CompTIA’s esteemed membership, in addition to colleagues and peer companies at the event.”

ChannelCon is the flagship event offered by CompTIA (The Computing Technology Industry Association). This year’s show will explore emerging markets, monetizing solutions and breakthrough technologies transforming the IT industry.

About RapidFire Tools, Inc.

RapidFire Tools, Inc. was founded in June of 2010. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tools that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask, ConnectWise and TigerPaw. The company’s mission is to continue to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully.

ATLANTA, GA – RapidFire Tools, Inc., creators of the Network Detective non-invasive IT assessment tools, has launched a campaign to accommodate multi-lingual business for MSP (managed service providers) and IT service providers in North America. As populations become more diverse in some parts of the United States, Canada and Mexico, RapidFire Tools is making it easier for MSPs and IT service providers to break language-based barriers and improve communications and the value of their services to clients whose native language is not English.

The new North American version of the Network Detective tools can generate reports in both Canadian French and Spanish, with additional language translation modes in development to support International Expansion. The company is also actively seeking distribution partnerships in various countries outside the US to extend the product line’s penetration into international markets.

As the leading provider of non-invasive IT assessment tools in North America, RapidFire Tools has noticed trends in which many companies leverage languages other than just English. MSPs in Canada, for instance, often work with French-speaking businesses in the province of Quebec. Similarly, there are large populations in the US where business owners, employees and end-customers utilize Spanish as their primary language. The translated Network Detective reports create an advantage for those MSPs and resellers who are looking to serve customers in their native languages.

“Our subscribers north of the border have been asking us to produce reports in Canadian French so they can serve clients in Quebec, and those with clients in southern parts of the country with large Hispanic populations have been asking for the reports in Spanish,” said RapidFire Tools, Inc. president Michael Mittel. “We’re not only responding to this need of our existing subscribers, but also translating our reports into dozens of other languages in preparation of a large international expansion.”

About RapidFire Tools, Inc.

RapidFire Tools, Inc. was founded in June of 2010. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tools that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask, ConnectWise and TigerPaw. The company’s mission is to continue to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully.

ATLANTA, GA – Rapidfire Tools, Inc., the world-leader in non-invasive IT assessment tools, announced today the release of a new compliance tool that, for the first time provides IT professionals with the tools they need to prepare all of the technical documents associated with the Security Rule requirements of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

While the HIPAA Healthcare Privacy Rule protects all identifiable health information of any type in any medium, all covered entities are required by the Security Rule to be able to prove that they have taken steps to protect the electronic health information that they either possess or have access to. This requirement not only applies to every health/medical organization, but also to their business associates including any business that maintains or accesses their patient information such as billing agents, insurance agents, lawyers and other professionals.

The new Network Detective HIPAA Compliance tool demystifies the requirements for IT professionals by automatically generating all of the primary documents that the covered entities and their business associates are required, by law, to create and maintain to comply with the security aspects of the provision, including:

The HIPAA Policy and Procedures Document

The Evidence of HIPAA Policy Compliance Document

The HIPAA Risk Analysis and Management Plan

The IT Security Exception Worksheet

These primary reports are all automatically generated by the Network Detective HIPAA Compliance module, using the data that is automatically generated by its proprietary network and computer scanning tools, and by supplementary information included on the supplied-questionnaires. The reports are editable so they can either be delivered as-is or with additional information added.

The tool also generates the first standardized HIPAA Compliance Risk Score and provides a prioritization of all identified issues. The main reports are supplemented by a wide range of supporting documents that are automatically generated by the tool, all designed to maximize protection of the entity in the event of a governmental Audit.

“The Federal government is cracking down and levying huge fines on organizations that have demonstrated willful neglect when it comes to HIPAA’s requirements,” noted Mike Semel, president of Semel Consulting and one of the nation’s leading authorities on HIPAA. “Data breaches also result in high costs for notifications, identity theft protection, and lawsuits. Even if there’s not been a breach, every organization is required to perform proper due diligence in protecting their electronic patient information, and in having the written documentation to prove it.”

While there are numerous network scanning tools available to IT professionals, as well as some boilerplate self-assessment surveys available on the market, the Network Detective HIPAA Compliance tool is the first product that has been purpose built specifically for IT professionals to make the HIPAA risk analysis and documentation easier, more thorough, and more accurate.

“This is the Holy Grail of tools for any IT professional who works on computers and networks with electronic medical records, whether they work within the walls of the covered entities, or serve them as outsourced IT service providers,” said Michael Mittel, President of RapidFire Tools, Inc. “The risk of NOT performing the necessary audits is huge for any covered entity and its Business Associates,” he added. “But the opportunity associated with the creation of the compliance documentation is also significant especially for MSPs and service providers with clients and prospects in the healthcare vertical.”

The Network Detective HIPAA Compliance Module is now available for license at the www.rapidfiretool.com website at an annual subscription price of $2,999 per year. The tool is accessed through the same interface as the other four Network Detective IT assessment modules, including one each for general Network Assessments, IT Security Assessments, MS Exchange Assessments and SQL Server Assessments. Each of these modules is available individually or through bundled annual subscriptions.

About RapidFire Tools, Inc.

RapidFire Tools, Inc. was founded in June of 2010. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tools that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask, ConnectWise and TigerPaw. The company’s mission is to continue to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully.

ATLANTA, GA – Rapidfire Tools, Inc., the world-leader in non-invasive IT assessment tools, announced today the release of a new add-on that for the first time allows service providers to automate the regular or periodic collection of network scans from multiple client sites and have the resulting data files available for download directly into the Network Detective application.

The new Network Detective Client-Connector(tm) add-on promises to dramatically reduce the time and hassle of going on site to each client to run the network scans and manually import them into the tool. Additionally, unlike relying exclusively on RMM tools to schedule and collect the scan files, Client-Connector completes the process by providing direct access and downloads directly into the Network Detective application to generate the reports.

“Our IT Service Provider customers have been asking for an add-on like this,” said RapidFire Tools, Inc. president Michael Mittel, “and I’m pleased to be able to offer them a solution that will deliver considerable value to them.”

The new add-on allows service providers to write their own scripts to customize for each client and network which type of IT assessment scans to run, what devices to include in the scan, and with what frequency. They can create the scripts using their RMM tool, a stand-alone scripting engine, or Microsoft’s Task Scheduler.

RapidFire Tools includes general instructions and scripting guidelines along with the add-on. After each data scan is completed and saved locally, it is automatically uploaded to a secure cloud storage facility where it can be directly accessed from inside of the Network Detective application.

Client-Connector is available as an add-on to any Network Detective subscription, and can be used on an unlimited number of client sites and can be used to collect network data from servers, and/or additional data directly from an PC connected to the internet.

The Client-Connector is available now, and can be self-provisioned by any existing subscriber by logging into the Network Detective application and ordering through the “Upgrade Now” button. Customers have the option of making an upfront annual payment or subscribing through a monthly billing plan.

About RapidFire Tools, Inc.

RapidFire Tools, Inc. was founded in June of 2010. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tools that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask, ConnectWise and TigerPaw. The company’s mission is to continue to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully.

ATLANTA, GA – RapidFire Tools, Inc., the world-leader in non-invasive IT assessment tools, announced today the release of a new module for Network Detective designed expressly to perform “deep dive” assessments and analyses of Microsoft SQL Server environments. The new module allows the IT service provider to generate a set of SQL Server-specific reports that can be used as part of a comprehensive network assessment, or used to deliver an ongoing managed service.

“SQL Servers are typically running mission-critical business applications, and are also at the heart of Microsoft’s SharePoint found in a vast majority of small businesses,” said Michael Mittel, President of Rapidfire Tools. “Until now you had to be a Database Administrator (DB) in order to deliver even basic reports on the health of mission-critical SQL Server services.” All that changes with the Network Detective SQL Server Assessment Module.

“With the SQL Server Assessment Module, all you need to do is run the Network Detective non-invasive data collector on your client’s or prospect’s SQL.” Mittel continued. “Then, let Network Detective’s proprietary data analyzer crunch the network data and produce a baseline set of health and status reports. Brand them as your own, and present them either as a stand-alone, one-time IT SQL Server Assessment, or as part of a regularly-scheduled managed security service.”

Database Detail Report – Deeper dive into each individual database in the SQL server, including properties, missing indices, fragmentation levels and other stats.

Maintenance Plan Report – A very telling report that reveals which defined maintenance plans have been run, the last run times and results. The report includes the sub-steps taken in the plans.

SQL Server Agent Jobs Report – This report includes a comprehensive list of all SQL Server agent jobs and their schedules. The Job History highlights which jobs were not successful, and why they are producing errors.

The Need For SQL Server Assessments
There is a huge pent-up demand for SQL Server management services that few service providers are taking advantage of, primarily because: (a) their clients don’t know what they don’t know, and (b) the service providers don’t feel they have the skills on staff to deliver the service.

By performing regular SQL Server health checks with Network Detective, service providers can help their clients protect their assets, guard against down time, and help them sleep better at night. The SQL Server Assessment Module helps service providers to demonstrate their professionalism and in-depth knowledge of their systems, as well as uncovering potential new database projects.

Since the SQL Server Assessment Module is sold exclusively through an annual subscription, it can be used for an unlimited number of SQL Server Assessments for a full year. It can also be combined with the Network Assessment, Security Assessment, and Exchange Assessment Modules to deliver a more comprehensive IT assessment for prospects and customers.

About RapidFire Tools, Inc.

RapidFire Tools, Inc. was founded in June of 2010. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tools that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask, ConnectWise and TigerPaw. The company’s mission is to continue to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully.

ATLANTA, GA – October 28, 2013 – The ASCII Group, Inc. the World’s largest IT Solution Provider community announced today that RapidFire Tools, Inc, achieved the top honor for The ASCII Indianapolis Summit 2013, winning the ‘Best of Show’ Award for the event.

This prestigious award is presented to the company and/or solution that has the best overall fit, solution and opportunity with the attending Managed Services and IT Providers. The award was given based on a tally of votes cast by the Solution Provider attendees at The ASCII Los Angeles Summits 2013 in Indianapolis, IL.

“We’ve been working overtime to build world-classÂ IT assessment tools, and making them both affordable and accessible to all service providers,” said Michael Mittel, president of RapidFire Tools Inc. “We’re thrilled that the discerning members of the ASCII Group recognize the value of what we have created for them.”

RapidFire Tools, Inc. demonstrated Network Detective at the recent ASCII Success Summit, and also provided an extended on-site training session for current users.

In announcing the award, ASCII Group President Jerry Koutavas, said, “RapidFire Tools, Inc. hasÂ been a great vendor for many of our members, and this award is a recognition of the solid relationships that the company has developed within our community.”

Earlier this year at a similar gathering in Los Angeles, RapidFire Tools, Inc. won the Best New Product Award for Network Detective.

RapidFire Tools, Inc. was founded in June of 2010. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tools that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask, ConnectWise and TigerPaw. The company’s mission is to continue to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully.

ATLANTA, GA – September 20, 2013 – RapidFire Tools announced today the release of a free tool for IT Professionals designed to help them to quickly identify all computers at any location that are running the Microsoft Windows XP operating system.

The creation of this tool was prompted by Microsoft Corporation’s announcement that it plans to drop support of Windows XP effective on April 8, 2014, and an estimated 560 million PCs are affected.

“The end of XP represents a gigantic opportunity for all IT service providers, large and small,” said Michael Mittel, President of Rapidfire Tools, Inc. “We built this tool with the primary goal of helping the IT service community leverage this opportunity.”

The XP Migration Assessment Tool is a cloud-based application available at no cost at www.xp-migration.com. At this site, IT professionals can download the non-invasive XP Migration network scanner, and also upload the encrypted scan results to obtain their reports.

The new assessment tool is powered by the RapidFire Tools proven Network Detective non-invasive IT assessment engine. This highly specialized version of the tool produces a report that identifies which machines have Windows XP running and whether they are ready for migration to a newer OS, such as Windows 8.1, or will require hardware upgrades or replacement.

For each system scanned, the XP Migration Assessment report details all relevant system specs, and highlight those that fall short of the OS Migration requirements. “We built the XP Migration Assessment Tool to be simple enough for any IT service provider to use,” said Mittel, “whether they want to check one stand-alone machine or an entire network all at once. We also include a complimentary Client Risk Summary report with the free tool.” To start, the service provider simply downloads the proprietary, non-invasive data scanner onto a thumb drive, or directly onto the computer or network to be scanned. Next, the file is unzipped and a wizard guides the service provider to enter basic information about the system to be scanned. Individual PCs can be scanned in literally a matter of seconds. Alternatively, the tool can be run on the network Domain Controller to scan all PCs connected to the network, usually in less than 30 minutes for a typical network.

Once the scan has been completed, an encrypted file is generated containing the discovered information. The service provider then uploads the encrypted file to the RapidFire Tools data analyzer in the Cloud. Within minutes, the service provider gets an email with a link to retrieve the fully-formatted, neatly organized report.

“We believe that service providers will find this new tool to be an important resource that will serve as the first step in their XP Migration strategies for all their clients,” commented Mittel. “But it could also be used on prospects to help identify new potential XP Migration opportunities.”

In addition to offering the free hosted version of the tool, RapidFire Tools is also including the XP Migration report in the full version of Network Detective available through an unlimited use annual subscription. For more information, visit www.rapidfiretools.com.

About RapidFire Tools, Inc.

RapidFire Tools, Inc. was founded in June of 2010. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tools that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask, ConnectWise and TigerPaw. The company’s mission is to continue to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully.

ATLANTA, GA – RapidFire Tools announced today the release of InForm, a new utility built inside of Network Detective that allows IT professionals to supplement and enhance the IT Assessments to include auxiliary information about their client network environments.

“We built Network Detective to automate the collection of network information, and we are continually adding to the mountain of data that we can acquire with our tool,” said Michael Mittel, president of RapidFire Tools. “But there is some important information about the network environment and the business itself that no tool can automatically discover, but that IT Pros want to include in their IT assessment reports. Our new Network Detective InForm utility fills that void.”

The Network Detective InForm utility lets IT professional to customize the IT Assessment reports that they deliver by creating check lists of Categories and Topics of supplemental information they want to gather beyond what can be automatically detected. Examples of this information include: hosting providers, alarm and other security system information, land-line phone and fax systems, server room set up, wiring, cabling and the like.

These lists can be generated completely from scratch, or by using or editing pre-existing InForm Site Templates that include the most common elements of interest to IT service professionals. These lists then can be printed out and filled in by hand, or entered directly into the tool if installed on the service provider’s notebook.

Once the supplemental information is collected and entered into Network Detective, InForm then automatically organizes the data and both integrates the supplemental information it into the standard reports, as well as creates new customized reports.

Includes Integrated IT SWOT Analysis Reports

One of the most powerful features of Network Detective InForm is the integrated IT SWOT Analysis Report builder. As the IT professionals enter each piece of supplemental information into the tool, they can tag the item as an “IT Strength,” an “IT Weakness,” an “IT Opportunity” or an “IT Threat” based on what is discovered. InForm also allows the IT pro to flag selected items as “Key Points” that will appear in a customized graphical IT SWOT Summary Grid for the client. In addition, InForm will also automatically generate two full IT SWOT report including all tagged items â€“ one version organized by SWOT Quadrant, and one organized by Category.

New Feature Includes Power To Add “Image Evidence” Into IT Assessments

A picture is worth 1,000 words, and there are some elements of a network environment that the IT Service professional will want to document with a photo. This might include photos of the physical condition of the server room, improper or unusual wiring, individual network component, and the like. The Network Detective InForm allows any image to be uploaded and associated with any check list item and as well as any item included in the customized SWOT Report.

Customized IT Check Lists

In addition to using the check lists as part of formal IT Assessments, the InForm check-list builder is so flexible it can be used to create literally any type of check list for any internal business procedure that the IT service provider might want to document. For example, you could create a customized check list for onboarding a new customer or for performing an Exchange Migration, or even for internal system maintenance procedures. These Customize check lists can be saved to generate simple printed checklists to use manually, or can be entered into the system and saved for documentation purposes that the list has been complete.

About Network Detective

Network Detective is the #1 non-invasive IT assessment tool, used by thousands of service providers around the world. Unlike other solutions, Network Detective is able to acquire a vast amount of network data including assets, users, configurations, and vulnerabilities, all without installing any software, probes, or agents. In addition to automatically pulling information quickly from anything attached to the network, data from individual “off line” devices can be captured in minutes, and automatically incorporated into the final reports. Once the scans are complete, the service provider can run the encrypted file through the Network Detective data analyzer and then select from dozens of powerful reports to generate.

Network Detective includes three modules, each sold separately through annual subscriptions that allow for an unlimited number of scans on an unlimited number of networks to generate an unlimited number of reports. The Network Assessment Module, Security Assessment Module and Exchange Assessment Module can all be purchased online at www.rapidfiretools.com.

About RapidFire Tools, Inc.

RapidFire Tools, Inc. was founded in June of 2010 as a spin-off of Performance IT, one of the largest and most successful Managed Service Providers in Atlanta, GA.

In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tools that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask and ConnectWise. The company’s mission is to continue to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully.

Atlanta, GA. Attendees at the 2013 Autotask Community Live Event in Scottsdale today voted to give top honors to RapidFire Tools, Inc. for offering software tools that provide the best value-added functionality to the Autotask PSA.

The award was one of only two issued to the dozens of vendors who sponsored the event.

“We are always looking for new ways to improve the productivity of the IT service providers, MSPs and IT consultants who use our tools,” commented Michael Mittel, president of RapidFire Tools Inc. “So it’s only natural that we’d build tight integrations into the business management tools they use.”

RapidFire Tools, Inc. exhibited two of its flagship products at Autotask Community Live â€“ Email2Ticket and Network Detective â€“ both of which include tight integrations with Autotask.

Email2Ticket is a powerful workflow automation tool that intercepts inbound emails and converts them into a variety of Autotask entities, including service tickets, project notes, and CRM items. It also easily can be programmed to perform a variety of functions based on the content of the email.

Network Detective is an IT assessment tool that quickly and easily gathers a wide range of information about networks, including asset, user and configuration information. In addition to allowing IT service providers, MSPs, and IT consultants to produce impressive, branded reports, much of the data can also be automatically pushed into Autotask’s Service Desk and CRM.

This is the second year in a row that RapidFire Tools, Inc. has won this coveted award.

About RapidFire Tools, Inc.
The company’s mission is to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tool that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask and ConnectWise.

Chicago, Il. Reachout IT, a company which provides IT support services, IT hosting, data backup, and communications services to businesses and non-profits nationwide reports using Network Detective as a key component of the regular IT service it delivers to most of their clients.

“Network Detective helps us find the weak points for potential new clients,” said Ryan Leuring, who heads up the company’s operations. The information it gathers is incredible.’”

Leuring revealed that as soon as he learned about Network Detective, he tried it. And, after seeing everything it could do, and how affordable it is, he decided to use it as an everyday part of the IT service delivery cycle.

He added that his company uses IT assessments for new business generation and then throughout the customer service lifecycle:

”Once new business is won, we use the Network Detective’s network admin report as the starting point to securing and making our client’s lives easier and more productive,” he said. “I actually look forward to a client whose report comes back with a Risk Score of 7 (on a scale of 1-to-10 with 10 being most “at risk”) or higher because I know there will be that more sense of accomplishment.

“Network Detective is extremely easy to use for the amount of information it gathers!”

About Network Detective

Network Detective is the #1 non-invasive IT assessment tool, used by thousands of service providers around the world. Unlike other solutions, Network Detective is able to acquire a vast amount of network data including assets, users, configurations, and vulnerabilities all without installing any software, probes, or agents. In addition to automatically pulling information quickly from anything attached to the network, data from individual “off line” devices can be captured in minutes, and automatically incorporated into the final reports. Once the scans are complete, the service provider can run the encrypted file through the Network Detective data analyzer and then select from dozens of powerful reports to generate.

Network Detective includes three modules, each sold separately through annual subscriptions that allow for an unlimited number of scans on an unlimited number of networks to generate an unlimited number of reports. The Network Assessment Module, Security Assessment Module and Exchange Assessment Module can all be purchased online at www.rapidfiretools.com.

About RapidFire Tools, Inc.
The company’s mission is to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tool that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask and ConnectWise.

Atlanta, GA – RapidFire Tools, Inc., the leading provider of IT assessment tools, announced today the release of a new Enhanced Branding Package to give IT service providers and MSPs the ability to further customize and brand the reports generated by the tool.

The new enhancement allows IT service professionals to:

Select from a number of pre-built report themes

Tap into an expanded library of pre-selected, pre-paid high quality report cover images

Adjust the color of key report elements to match the exact company colors

Upload and save multiple custom images to incorporate in the report covers

Add company name and logo

Edit all content of the report

“With the growing popularity of Network Detective, the service providers want to be able to take our core reports and customize the look and feel to make them their own,” said Michael Mittel, president of RapidFire Tools, Inc. “We’ve always given them the ability to brand the reports with their company name and logo, but with the Enhanced Branding Package, they now have much great control over the look and feel of the reports they deliver.”

About Network Detective

Network Detective is the #1 non-invasive IT assessment tool, used by thousands of service providers around the world. Unlike other solutions, Network Detective is able to acquire a vast amount of network data including assets, users, configurations, and vulnerabilities all without installing any software, probes, or agents.Â In addition to automatically pulling information quickly from anything attached to the network, data from individual “off line” devices can be captured in minutes, and automatically incorporated into the final reports. Once the scans are complete, the service provider can run the encrypted file through the Network Detective data analyzer and then select from dozens of powerful reports to generate.

Network Detective includes three modules, each sold separately through annual subscriptions that allow for an unlimited number of scans on an unlimited number of networks to generate an unlimited number of reports. The Network Assessment Module, Security Assessment Module and Exchange Assessment Module can all be purchased online at www.rapidfiretools.com.

About RapidFire Tools, Inc.
The company’s mission is to develop innovative and powerful, award-winning IT solutions with clear value propositions that help service providers, resellers, and MSPs uncover new business, expand their practice areas, and run their operations more successfully. In addition to its flagship Network Detective IT assessment tool, RapidFire Tools, Inc. also publishes Email2Ticket, the leading productivity tool that automates the processing and conversion of emails into service tickets and other items for Autotask and ConnectWise. RapidFire Tools, Inc. was founded in 2010.